GOD AND MEN: attitude matters
So many people know the Exodus story, well, some parts of it sounds kind of a joke which no ordinary ear can do with a skip. For beginners, the journey which many scholars now argue that it was supposed to take between eleven and forty days for people travelling with children and women (I am not being segregatory here, it is the scholars who said this) took a period equivalent to the life expectancy of a chain smoker. Forty straight years of wandering in the wilderness like shepherd less sheep were required for Israelites to arrive in Canaan. In translation, it seems everyone who grew up in Egypt was dead before destination Canaan was realised. But this is a story, what relation does it have to someone alive today?
Just as in the biblical Mosaic Exodus, someone left the House of Hunger approximately forty years ago but has not locked the intended destination. Unlike the Israelites, this particular someone has been long lost in transit, destination is now unknown. Twice or thrice that person came in the correct bearing of the intended bearing but the thorny unbearable wilderness route frightened the guts out of him, leading him to seek for alternative easier tracks which are proving to be of legendary or mythical existence. He managed to develop an excuse though, his uncle who decided to take the path he detested is now his witch – so he heard from a popular false, fame-seeking, prosperity-without-God preaching pastor who is steering masses of unaware congregants through the Hell highway. His beliefs are contradictory to Paul’s preaching, “for even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would no work, neither should he eat” [2 Thessalonians 3:10]
Maybe what matters is what happened after the Israelites settled in Canaan which led them into the Babylonian exile (galut). From the account of Elijah, we get that they had commenced paying homage to the pagan gods borrowed from the Canaanites they had disposed, resulting in a heated friction with the Mosaic covenant which saw a widespread high magnitude famine hitting the chosen people. Elijah stood up and proved to the clueless Israelites that the Canaanite fertility cults were nothing but kindergarten distractions aimed at leading them astray. He is not the only one who tried to call back the hearts of God’s nation to its creator, but all the attempts were to no avail. God loved them but he had no choice, he had to scatter them in Diaspora.
In interpretation, there are certain habits which lead God into leaving you to yourself in times of troubles. These habits are inherent in humanity but the sooner we observe them, a problem identified is half solved. A good relationship with God ensures a successful life.
HABIT #1: COMPLAINING
Upon leaving Egypt, the Israelites seemed to have understood the terms of leaving. I can assume that everyone was very happy, happy that finally, they were now going out of the horrific place. However, just a few moments down the line, they started complaining to Moses that it would have been better if they had remained in Egypt, having faced with the plight of a seemingly uncrossable red sea and a mighty threatening Egyptian army behind.
We, as humans come to complain to others just because we forget. When we decide to take steps out of our problems, we will be determined because we would have gotten fed up with them, yet, when we encounter a challenge on our egress process we begin to complain.
Complaining is never ungodly, the Israelites were good complainers, God did not respond when they complained the first five times but on the sixth, up to the fifteenth, his response ensured that they know who he is. A person who frequently complains distances himself from God’s protective zone.
God never gives you less than you should get. Through his eternal wisdom, if you communicate with him, he will lead you in the way to your prosperous destiny. But, he will never lead you in a soft even carpeted pathway immune from predators and birds of prey. You will definitely encounter the red sea, wilderness wolves, jackals and other fearsome monsters both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial, recorded and unrecorded. Your attitude in such situations is what matters. If you begin the journey of your life with God, mind your tongue, for it has the power to destroy you (if it uses you) or build you (if you used it rightly).
HABIT #2: LACK OF TRUST IN GOD
Usually complaining and lack of trust in God are buddies. In most cases, a complaining heart begets lack of trust. The Israelites basically refused to enter Canaan (Deuteronomy 1:19-35) because of lack of trust in God. When spies were sent for a scouting expedition into the Canaanite territory, only Caleb had faith in God’s supremacy and he became the only one exempted from the damnation of not entering the promised land.
We have people in our societies, people who do not believe in the eternal omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence of God. Their disbelief managed to even overshadow reality to such an extent that they seek evil in order to get rich. We have people who decide to do away with God’s path of glory because it is a narrow path, whilst, this narrow path was recommended by Jesus against the highway.
Lack of trust in the LORD may be evidenced in a hidden way. You are involved in a development by your boss at work but you turn it down because you think you are not able to do it. Someone wants to assist you halfway down a project but you turn down the offer because you won’t be able to manage it, you don’t have the skills or resources required. In short, failing to start a new thing just because no one else ever done it or you don’t have sufficient resources is a lack of trust in God.
HABIT #3: IMPATIENCE
God is patient, and, he expects his people to bear the same attitude. The Israelites were not patient during the Exodus. They wanted things to happen in their accord. When Moses took forty days in Horeb, they had already created their own God. When they came to the red sea, they were already deciding to return to the torments they had left behind.
The world is full of such people, if they ask God for a bicycle in their evening prayer, it should be seen in the garage next morning. We are talking about people who do not necessarily believe in miracles but they want their success story to be written overnight. God is not that type!
If you ask God for something, you will have to wait until in his everlasting wisdom he sees that it is now time. When he is working on your request, make sure you notice the alternatives he gives you. It is never obvious that if you ask to get employed God will grant that wish, instead, he may make you an employer. In the end, what matters is what you will be doing during the time of God’s processes.
Complaining and lack of trust in God are two examples of impatience. A man who always complains will likely distance himself from God’s plan. God needs people who believe in him and accept his judgement, in the end, his judgement is always the best for you.
HABIT #4: QUARRELING, UNTHANKFULNESS AND IGNORANCE.
All the above emanates from impatience, lack of trust and complaining. In Exodus 17, we hear that the Israelites complaints escalated into a quarrel. When two people, two or more workmates quarrel, two partners quarrel, it is an indication of ungodly presence. Quarrelling is caused by the impatience to let someone prove that he or she is correct, and, a lack of being impatient when someone is explaining. However, anger, fury, feats of rage etc. are sins for God is Love [Ephesians 4:31].
Having been delivered from the web of slavery and racial discrimination, the Israelites were supposed to be thankful, but, they seemed to have every reason to point nasty fingers at Moses and blame God for what they visualised as ill-fate. We are here, we are such people, we are living in a similar age, where everyone blames God for being poor, but no one thanks God for waking up alive every morning.
You are alive, you are walking, you are seeing, you are at a job that pays a small sum, you are living under a roof, but, you still blame God for not giving you what your relatives and friends have. The truth is, my friend, God is doing what he is supposed to do, but, you are doing what you are not supposed to be doing. If you work in a butcher, then one day while travelling, you see a road maintenance team working lazily, and, you decide to show them how to do work. So, you spend a whole month working hard teaching them how to be hardworking, that is a good thing. But, you will lose your own job. In addition, you won’t be on the road maintenance payroll that month even though you worked harder than those on the payroll. The conclusion is you will not get a reward for doing a wrong good work. If you do the right thing, God will reward that thing in accordance with what is yours.
After God has delivered us, there is a tendency to forget the good things he had done. We forget that he was the one in control. We become so arrogant, so pompous that we won’t even dare to go to church. We totally forget God and relate ourselves more to earthly things just as the Israelites did when they were feeling comfortable in Canaan, but, exile came!
CONCLUSION
God made plans for each and every human. We constantly lead ourselves out and away from these prosperous plans due to ignorance. We forget the God who created us and the God who looked after us in prenatal, postnatal and escape infant mortalities.
We complain very much to the God who gave us employments, schools and careers, we always think he should have done better than that. Our complaints project into a lack of trust, and quarrels. We shun the light and embrace the darkness in order to boost our business prowess.
If we change our attitude towards God and towards ourselves, everything will become fine. Negative words such as poverty will cease to exist.
The good news is God doesn’t leave us frozen by the horror of seeing our grotesque selves. He also reveals his boundless mercy and compassion towards us.
